Helping Hands
by SnapefanJen
Summary: Update will be coming soon. I have chapter three finished, I just need to type it and proof it. What happens when Hermione sees parts of herself in Severus' actions? Read and find out.
1. Secrets Revealed

**Helping Hands**

**Authors Notes and disclaimers: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Also, I would beware that there will be mature content within this story, so if you are opposed, please do not read.**

On with the Story:

Summary: What made Hermione the quiet studious bookworm we all know and love? A haunting past and a recent experience may be the one thing that Hermione and Severus need to move on with their lives and get past the memories that keep holding them back from relationships. This story will eventually be HGSS and GWDM my two favorite pairings.

Chapter One: Secrets Revealed

Year 1998: Hermione Granger's 7th year at Hogwarts

She was sitting on the train lost in thought. Thoughts of the upcoming year, as she was made Head Girls and thoughts of the past. A past that she had tried to not think about for many years. Luckily the Head Boy and Girl had their own compartments on the train so no one would interrupt the memories she was trying to hold back. She loved her friends, but right now she was not in the right state of mind to listen about the most recent Quidditch equipment and maneuvers.

_FLASHBACK_

_A young Hermione Granger is sitting at the picnic table with her parents and their neighbors the Cole family. The two families had decided to have a picnic to celebrate the upcoming summer months. The summer being the most popular time for dentists and doctors because all the children now had time to come in for their yearly checkups. _

"_Daddy? I am finished eating. May I please be excused? I am tired" five year old Hermione asked her father._

"_Of course pumpkin. Go ahead upstairs and lay down."_

_Hermione did just that. It took only a few minutes for her to fall asleep. Sometime later, Hermione was awakened to Patrick sitting on her bed. Instantly Hermione became scared. He had looked at her throughout the entire picnic and it made her uncomfortable._

"_I want you to be quiet and say nothing. If you say anything to anyone I will make you pay." Patrick proceeded to slip under her covers and begin raping her. Hermione, being too young to understand what was happening to her did not fight because she was scared of what this bigger boy would do to her._

_After he had finished he said, "Remember not a word to anyone."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Hermione was brought out of her memories by a loud knocking on her compartment door. "Hermione are you okay? We've been knocking on your door for several minutes," Ginny Weasley asked. "Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing Ginny, just some pent up emotions that I need to deal with that's all. So how was your summers?" She asked Ginny, Ron and Harry.

"Well I only stayed a day with the Dursley's this year. I was excited about that. It seems I only need to be in the house for twenty-four hours for the protection charm to take effect. I spent my time with Remus and Tonks learning some defensive skills to show the DA this year. I also have been staying with Ron and Ginny at the joke shop these past two weeks." Harry explained.

"Yeah, Fred and Geroge hired us for the summer to watch the shop while they experimented some new products and developed others. It was a good time, wasn't it Gin?"

"Sure if you like that sort of thing. I however had more fun preparing for my exams. You know Dumbledore told me that if I studied hard and passed equivalency exams I would be able to jump up to seventh year. Honestly, I don't know why you never tried doing it Hermione. It was fun learning my sixth year information over the summer. I passed with flying colors, well except for potions. Snape's was a hard test to pass, but I managed."

Hermione was excited for her friend. "Congratulations Ginny! I am proud of you. I bet your parents are as well. See what happens when you apply your brains to something other than quidditch boys?" Ron and Harry both grumbled in their seats. "And I never really thought about passing out of any years Ginny. Maybe I enjoyed learning it all so much that I didn't want to miss anything the professor had to impress upon me."

The truth is that Hermione wanted to stay away from her home for as long as possible. Her parents never learned of what Patrick had done to her. She also had no intentions of ever telling them. Of course there had been signs that something had happened to her, but her parents didn't really notice. All they saw was their normally social daughter begin to study and read a lot. They assumed that their daughter only wanted to do her best before the school year would begin again.

With Ginny being a seventh year now, Hermione finally had someone to study with who was not completely obsessed with members of the opposite sex. Of course, there was bound to be the occasional gossip, but Hermione could handle that. In all of her seven years at Hogwarts has she ever felt that she could open herself up for a boyfriend. Perhaps she could change that this, her final year.

"So do you know who the Head Boy is?" Ginny asked.

"Actually I'm not sure. Knowing my luck, it is probably Draco Malfoy or someone equally as horrible. My only hope is that whoever it is, I can manage to get along with him because we are going to be sharing common rooms and patrolling duties."

"Oh boy, the Granger brat is the new head girl" Draco thought as he overheard the conversation. He had come to see who he would be working with this year. "Just what I didn't need. I thought that I would get to relax and get rid of my fake attitude for a little while now that I won't be in the hell that is the Slytherin Common Rooms. Honestly I should have let that damn hat put me in Gryffindor like it wanted to, but no I had to do whatever father wanted me to do even then. Always the same thing. He chose everything for me including who I would be friends with. Maybe I will be able to change that this year even though I have to live with Hermione." Draco stopped eavesdropping and continued on his way of patrolling the corridors of the train.

"You guys should get back to your compartment. We are going to be at Hogwarts soon and you should change into your robes. I also need to patrol the corridors once before we arrive and finish working on my specialty field proposal draft. It doesn't hurt to start early." Hermione ushered her friends back to their compartment and said hello to everyone as she passed and asking how their holidays went. It seemed like just a few minutes later that they had arrived at Hogwarts for their final year as students.

AN: So this is the first chapter of my first fanfic. I hope you stick with me as lately I have had writers block and have not had the desire to write for years. This story is hopefully the beginning of many more to come. Hope to have the second chapter up in a few days. Please review I really want to know what you think about the story.


	2. Head to Head Conversation

**Helping Hands**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I wish I did.**

**Chapter Two: Head to Head Conversation**

**Summary: Hermione and Draco have a heart to heart talk.**

The sorting ceremony was short this year. Many parents were afraid to send their children to the school. Most of the new students were pureblooded, very few muggle born witches and wizards would grace the halls of Hogwarts until after the war. In all, forty students were sorted into the houses of Hogwarts. Only 8 belonged to Gryffindor. Hermione and her friends were not at all shocked by this turn of events. In fact, Hermione's own parents had contemplated pulling her from Hogwarts, but she stood her ground.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were making their way to Gryffindor before the new students arrived in their new common rooms. "Can you believe the message the hat had for us this year 'Mione? Asking us to be friends to all. Rubbish, I could never be friends with a Slytherin."

"Ronald Weasley! How many times have I repeatedly asked you not to call me by that wretched name? Besides, the hat had a point. It is a time of war, and we need to keep everyone close to us. Not all of Slytherin house are Death Eaters you know. Perhaps we should look past our house and learn to accept people for who they are." She chastised her friend.

"Hermione, do you think that I care about who is or isn't a Death Eater. I don't. I simply want to spend my last year here peacefully if I can. Winning the Quidditch Cup is the most important thing on my mind. Especially now that Harry is back and Ginny is playing Chaser. I've gotten loads better and playing keeper."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She did not want to listen to Ron and everyone else prattle on about quidditch. Honestly, she detested the sport and only went to the matches to support her friends. "You all know the password to get in, so I suggest you do. I need to do my rounds and then go to my own room. I will see you all in the Great Hall in the morning. Goodnight." That said, Hermione walked passed the Fat Lady and started to patrol the corridor she was assigned.

It being the first night back at Hogwarts, no one was in the halls, so rounds were completed quickly. She found the portrait for her rooms and set the password, Wolfsbane. Walking into her room for the first time was an experience she would not soon forget.

The room was gorgeous by her standards. It looked like a miniature library with a rather large bed in it. The bookshelves, floor, and bed were made out of Mahogany. For once, she was happy not to have to worry about sharing her space with others. She would not like it if someone were to come in here and ruin the beauty of her room. Hermione guessed that the room was charmed to judge the likes and dislikes of the current Head Girl because the colors definitely were not the deep red of Gryffindor. No, they were actually the colors of Slytherin house. She had always loved green and silver. After insuring that all her belongings were neatly placed, she decided to venture into the joint common room in hopes of discovering who Head Boy was.

She walked through the door and saw the one person she had no desire to see that day. She could not mistake that hair for anyone else at Hogwarts. The Head Boy was none other than Draco Malfoy. She knew he received top marks, but she didn't know that they were the best of all the seventh year boys. She decided that she would begin this partnership off on the right foot by being polite.

"Good evening Draco. I see you've made Head Boy."

"Yes Granger, I managed to do something without my father doing it for me. Its amazing what hard work can do for you isn't it." He said sarcastically.

"Yes I quite agree. Do you think that maybe you could please call me by my first name? We are going to have to share this common room for the entire year and I do not want to feel like I am not welcome in my own set of rooms." Hermione took a chance with her remarks.

"I see no problems in that H-h-hermione." He struggled saying her name for the first name. "Besides I think that maybe it would be wise if we start out on a fresh slate."

"What are you talking about Draco?" Hermione questioned.

"I have not been honest with anyone for the past seven years. You see, I never hated you. In fact I admired you. You worked hard to get where you are today. My father is simply the most despicable human being that you have ever met. He made me do everything that I have done since the time I was little. With him in Azkaban, I am free to do as I please. I need not worry about what he thinks of me. I no longer care. In fact, I would like to apologize for all the times that I called you mudblood. I honestly never meant a word of it. I detest the word actually. If you ever noticed I made it look like it was you I detested, but it was merely the word itself that made me speak with such sarcasm. Can you forgive me?"

Hermione was shocked by his revelation. Who knew that Draco Malfoy actually cared about people other than himself. "In time, I think I can accept you apology and who knows we may actually become friends. I take it then that you are not in fact a Death Eater?"

"Goodness no! Before he was sent to Azkaban, my father wanted me to take the mark. I told him I was too young because there would be no way to hide it from the Headmaster. It got me out of a tight squeeze. He was close to forcing me at that point. Being a Death Eater is hell. I've seen my Uncle Severus come back from meetings with Voldemort. I'd never want to go though that."

Hermione was once again shocked. "You mean to tell me that Severus Snape is your uncle?"

"Well not uncle per say. He is my godfather, which means right now he is my guardian. With Father in prison, my mother had no defenses against the Dark Lord. She suffered a painful death because she refused to hand me over to him. That is one of the reasons I am no longer residing in Slytherin house. My housemates have most likely heard the news and rejected me as a blood traitor. It matters little to me, as I never really had friends there anyways."

Hermione was shocked by what she was hearing. Never in all her time at Hogwarts did she expect Draco Malfoy to rescind his comments of hatred. She had to admit that she was a little frightened about whether he was telling the truth or not. She decided to take a chance and befriend the new head boy. She sat down next to him in the sofa.

"You know, if you like I can move some of my secondary textbooks to the common room so that we may share. I have plenty of books that are useful for many different subjects."

Draco thought for a moment then agreed on the condition that he could also store his secondary texts in the common room as well. When they were finished sorting through the books they had four bookshelves full and a fifth on the way. "The room definitely looks proper now wouldn't you say Hermione? I don't think we will need to go to the library for much."

Hermione laughed gently. "I do believe that you are correct. Draco, if you don't mind my asking, have you thought about what you were going to do your independent project on yet?"

"I've taken the summer to do some research. I'm thinking I want to study transfiguration, more specifically human transformations. I've thought about metamorphmagi and angimagi. I haven't really thought much past that. I really want to know what it is that decides what animal we become if we can transform or how metamorphs are born." Draco sounded passionate about his possibilities. Transfiguration was one of his favorite subjects. Professor McGonagall was even his favorite professor of the bunch. "What about yours Hermione? If I know you, you've already started working up your proposal."

Hermione smile. "Yes I have, I was going to finish my draft tonight, but it seems I have found myself in better company than I imagined. I am hoping for my project to be in potions. What I want to do is find a cure for werewolves not just an improvement on the wolfsbane. To think of what could happen if a cure was created. So many people would not be left out from society." Hermione found herself caught up in the moment of her project goals. "Of course that would mean that Professor Snape would have to agree to be my advisor, and I can only hope that he is in an agreeable mood when he reads my proposal. I mean he is the creator of the potion I intend to look at. Working with him can only increase my desire to cure lycanthropy."

"You've hit uncle Severus' desire right on the head Hermione. I'm sure that he'll accept your proposal. That is his major focus of research when he is not busy with _other_ projects," Draco was sure to emphasize his words. Hermione nodded in agreement. "I'd be happy to read your draft for you. I know how he can be when it comes to looking over documents and such."

"Thank You. I'd really like that. Well, I suppose I had best be making my final rounds before going to bed. I will see you for breakfast tomorrow. As I understand it, we have been invited to sit at the head table in the morning." Hermione smiled and left through the common room portrait.

Again, as Hermione made her rounds nothing was amiss. She was sure that by the end of the week rounds would start becoming more interesting. As she walked along the fourth floor corridor, Hermione once more became lost in her thoughts. She did not see what it was that she had suddenly run into.

"Miss Granger! Please watch where you are going! I do not have time to deal with you right now. I must see the Headmaster straight away." Severus Snape righted his robes and got off the ground without seeing if Hermione was okay. He rushed down the corridor again.

"That was strange." Hermione thought to herself. She soon found herself back at the private entrance to her rooms and decided that the halls were quiet enough and she needed to sleep before classes would begin tomorrow.

She went to her wardrobe and readied herself for bed. Soon after, she curled up on her bed reading a book on werewolves before falling into a deep sleep.

AN: I am looking for a Beta. If anyone wants the job please email me 


	3. AUTHORS NOTE

Author's Note:

I am sorry for not being able to update this story in a long time. I have been having some serious health issues and haven't had much time for sitting down and writing. I'm hoping that within the month I'll have another chapter ready for you all to read.


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